


Private Displays of Affection

by shadowblade_tara



Series: Nyctophilia [11]
Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: M/M, Non-Sexual Touching, Touch, Yay me!, humans need touch, i actually remembered my summary this time!, repost, venom figures out how to give it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-06-01
Packaged: 2020-04-06 00:47:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19051864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowblade_tara/pseuds/shadowblade_tara
Summary: For once in his life, he’s not walking a tightrope expecting his partner to lose interest or demand more than he can give.  He knows that, no matter what this turns into, Venom wants it as much as he does.For once, he’s on equal footing with someone, and he’s not letting it go for anything.Least of all something as simple as holding hands.





	Private Displays of Affection

One thing Venom does understand quite clearly about human relationships is the need to touch. 

Even nonromantic relationships, like friends and family, involve touching to a great degree. Klyntar touch as well, albeit not quite for the same reasons. Affection and trust aren’t inherent in Klyntar relationships. Touching usually serves as a way to pass information through chemicals and reaffirm allegiances. Affection has a role, but usually only between adults and their spawn, and even then, not for long. There are the occasional outliers, but those are the exceptions, not the rule.

But this? This is different. This is _Eddie_ , and Venom wants to do this _right,_ wants to give Eddie everything he might need in a romantic relationship. They’re at a disadvantage.

How do you show affection to someone you share a body with?

They touch each other occasionally. The touch that happens when they share a form, or when Venom is protecting Eddie from something. But that’s not the same. It lacks the intention Venom is after.

Humans have varying ways of showing affection, almost all of them ending in sex. It’s not something Venom knows how to give, and it’s not something Eddie requires. All of which leaves Venom wondering.

So they decide to experiment a little. If they can’t do it the human way or the Klyntar way, then they’ll do it _their way_ , and make it up as they go.

Eddie knows pretty much immediately when things change. Venom gets – restless is one way to phrase it. Frisky would be another. Infrequent touches begin, brief and never overstaying their welcome, and every time they touch, Venom keeps a close eye on their host’s reaction. With every touch that garners a positive response, the next touch lasts longer, gets bolder.

In public Venom keeps to themself, never interacting physically beyond what they usually do. In private, in the safety of the apartment, however, things change.

Eddie loves it.

The benefit of sharing a body is that they can’t keep much from each other. Eddie knows what Venom is trying to attempt, and it warms him more than it should that the symbiote is trying so hard to provide him with this. So he takes Venom’s lead.

The next time Venom touches Eddie, Eddie touches back. 

They’re cooking breakfast – scrambled eggs, chocolate chip pancakes, and some strips of bacon that Venom eats raw. The radio is playing softly, some alt rock station that Eddie doesn’t even bother paying attention to, and Venom snags another strip of bacon as Eddie finishes the eggs. The tendril brushes against Eddie’s cheek, and Eddie reaches up and runs his fingers across it.

Venom freezes, and for a brief, terrifying moment, Eddie wonders if he misread the situation. 

Then there’s a pulse of pure, utter _joy_ from the symbiote, and the tendril deliberately tangles in his fingers, and he smiles. The touch lasts much longer this time, almost like they’re holding hands even as Eddie prepares his plate. The entire time, Venom radiates peace and satisfaction.

Good. Very, very good. 

/-----------/

This leads to probably the weirdest courting ritual that Eddie has ever been a part of, and that’s saying something, considering who he spent his college years with. Venom touches, Eddie touches back, and the touch lingers. The fact that Eddie reciprocates seems to be enough to the symbiote. Those pulses of happiness speak volumes, as well as the contentedness that makes even Eddie feel mellow pretty much all day long. They keep this pace up for the rest of the week.

Then Eddie decides to do something a little different.

They’re inside their apartment, Eddie working on an article while Venom watches TV. Venom is wrapped around Eddie’s shoulders like a shawl, and Eddie reaches up and runs his fingers across the exposed skin, sending a pulse of warm affection their way.

Venom’s attention snaps from the TV to Eddie. Opalescent eyes stare at him even as they gently probe his mind, searching for – something. Eddie smiles and lets them, and he knows when they’ve found it.

The symbiote nuzzles against his face, not too unlike a cat, and the rumbling purr just completes the image. Eddie can’t help but laugh, letting his hand tangle in the strands that make up his other. “You like that, V?”

**Yes. Like it a lot.**

“Good.” 

Trying to figure out how to type one-handed is worth the ceaseless waves of warmth flowing from the symbiote.

/-----------/

Eddie can’t quite seem to settle down for bed, so they go out for a walk. Well, Eddie calls it a walk. Venom jokingly refers to it as patrolling their territory. (They’ve been watching a lot of nature documentaries lately.) Venom settles around his neck and keeps an eye out for anyone who might want to hurt them – and lately for anyone who will want to hurt others. 

Apparently, he’s not the only one who had this idea. There are other couples out and about, holding hands and wrapping arms around each other. The sight doesn’t send a pang of longing through Eddie anymore like it used to. 

Venom stirs, something that might be worry flickering through their bond. Eddie frowns. “V?”

**We can’t touch like them.**

Oh. He hadn’t realized that the sight might make his other feel things. “No, we can’t. Not out here.”

**Not ever. We can’t hold a form like that for long. Not apart from a host.**

Eddie nods. “It doesn’t bother me, you know. What we can do is more than enough.”

There’s a brief pause. **Are you sure?**

The idea that someone like Venom can be insecure is almost funny. Eddie just reaches up and runs his fingers along his “scarf”, feeling the purr of satisfaction against his throat, and projects his own thoughts and emotions along their bond.

Eddie is secure in the knowledge that it’s gonna be hard to screw this up as spectacularly as he screwed up things with Anne. For once in his life, he’s not walking a tightrope expecting his partner to lose interest or demand more than he can give. He knows that, no matter what this turns into, Venom wants it as much as he does. 

For once, he’s on equal footing with someone, and he’s not letting it go for anything.

Least of all something as simple as holding hands.

Venom trembles against him. **Eddie.**

“This is perfect, V. This is us.”

They walk a few more minutes in silence.

**Thank you.**

**Author's Note:**

> I believe now all of the stories that got deleted are back up. So after this story I have two more planned out (once I get around to typing them up), and then that's the end of Nyctophilia. If you have any other ideas that you would like to see here, hit me up either in the comments or talk to me on tumblr @sabotage-prowl


End file.
